*
I opened my eyes and found myself standing in front of Tardun’s shrine.
“..Is this a dream?”
The shrine was clearly destroyed by Intinium. Plus, it looked overgrown with bushes and dust.
But now, it looked clean and neat as if it had just been built.
The roof was made of white marble, and the pillars were engraved with the movements of swordsmen.
The wolf statue wrapping around a sword proved that this was indeed the shrine that had just existed a moment ago.
Ah, this must be a dream.
I touched my face, realizing my helmet had come off, and I could feel the uneven burn scars.
The special ability that once kept me perfectly still being released meant this wasn’t reality.
Thinking back, I had collapsed after completing the Demon King Kill in the shrine. I might be sleeping due to the aftereffects.
[You have come, Hero.]
A voice hummed in my head.
Turning to the side, I saw a gray Lycanthrope smiling at me.
“Sorry about that. I really wanted to say this at least once.”
He chuckled as if welcoming me, with the massive great sword on his back towering like an adult.
I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before. No way…
“..Is that you, Silph?”
The wolf swordsman who managed Tardun’s shrine.
I had only seen him briefly in the game, so we didn’t have much connection.
“How do you know my name? Hehe, indeed, this generation of heroes is different. You were chosen well.”
I thought he had been killed by Intinium.
“Could it be you were alive…?”
“Of course not, Hero.”
Silph shook his head, his eyes closed in a seemingly dejected manner.
“I am already dead. Thanks to Tardun’s grace, I can chat with you.”
Silph crossed his arms and stroked his chin, revealing scars from wounds made by a sword on both eyes.
“I came to thank you for protecting the Potion of the Sun and the Potion of the Moon.”
Thud! Silph planted his great sword into the ground and knelt, saluting me with a knight’s gesture.
“I did nothing, dear manager.”
I gestured for him to rise.
If only I had noticed the Magic Hat’s plans sooner, I might have saved the life of the Lycanthrope right in front of me.
“Don’t worry about it, Hero. My death was inevitable.”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
That can’t be! If anything, he should have appeared again in the prequel, not just earlier or later.
I couldn’t have stopped him.
“The Magic Hat showed some dangerous movements, you see, Hero of Conviction.”
Could it be because of me? I know they failed in giving trauma to the hero couple.
“..To be honest, if I had lost the potions, it would have been very dangerous. You did well.”
Silph let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head as he looked at me.
‘Was the Magic Hat supposed to drink the potions and get ridiculously stronger or what?’
That makes sense. How did the global first kill end up being just me?
Is this the butterfly effect?
Small events are coming together to change the future. If this continues, I might really be able to prevent Pina’s misfortune.
“Traditionally, potions are shared with a kiss between partners… It’s a bit disappointing, though!”
Silph winked at me in a creepy way. He doesn’t actually seem disappointed, does he?
“Well, it probably doesn’t matter now! You’re a noble member of the Inrang Tribe, after all!”
My head throbbed. It wasn’t just a simple sharing; it involved kissing while consuming the potions!
“….”
Thinking of Pina’s slightly sparkling lips from before, I involuntarily pulled my mouth sideways.
“But why do you keep calling me Hero? I’m not the Hero of Conviction or anything.”
I tightened my grip, starting to ask him something I had been curious about for a while.
I’m just someone who got possessed in the game. There’s no way I could be the Hero of Conviction like the Head said.
It’s fine to be recognized as an Inrang like Pina, but I’m actually just human too.
If there are heroes in this world, it should be a concept that applies to everyone who lives earnestly day by day.
To begin with, it’s strange that only heroes can defeat the Demon King.
There are strong people like Emperor Rock too.
“Did you not hear any of it? Tardun said clearly…”
Silph eyed me suspiciously.
He frowned, looking as if something was off.
Just then, whoosh, shadows began to cast over the pure white shrine.
“Oh no…”
In a space where light was slowly fading, a slimy black liquid surged, covering the sky.
It was a surreal sight, as if a living bird was devouring this space. My mouth gaped open.
“Hero, what on earth have you been doing to break the barrier created by the gods..!!”
Silph urgently called out to me. He drew his great sword against the wriggling darkness, but…
“..Is it already too late?”
Splash! Tentacles surged from the darkness like a water ghost, ensnaring the great sword and making it disappear.
“Run!! Hero!”
Something black was drawing nearer to me.
I tried to summon the Mind Sword to fight back, but there was no response from the essence.
Damn, why isn’t it working? Even in a dream, the Mind Sword should be with me.
Thud! A pain blossomed in my chest as the summoning failed. The shadow drew closer to me.
‘Rose vine…?’
What I thought were tentacles turned out to be roses. Black roses, to be precise.
The plant that smelled similar to Pina’s scent felt undeniably strange.
A bookmark from the book I saw in the library days ago sprang to mind.
“..I found it.”
A familiar voice began to echo.
*
Pina arrived at the inn and laid Licht down.
“..You fool.”
A cozy double bed. Pina, who rented the most expensive room, was in the same room as Licht.
The blonde hero smiled awkwardly but didn’t want to leave Licht’s side.
“..Fool. Fool dog.”
Not realizing she was crying, she watched as Licht slept peacefully.
“Hmm…”
Pina poked his cheek with her finger, watching for his reaction.
“Hehe, when he’s sleeping… he’s so gentle.”
Seeing the burn scars, she carefully applied some ointment, playing with Licht’s face like a toy.
“When he wakes up, he always makes me worry…”
Pina’s white wolf ears perked up, moving vigorously as she fretted over Licht.
What could he have been doing to have collapsed earlier? It seemed like a technique used when grasping the Head.
As she watched with her keen eyes, it was a technique that put a lot of strain on the body.
It felt desperate, as if he would die unless he killed the opponent, leaving no life behind.
Pina instinctively realized that the technique was dangerous while listening to Licht’s slowing heartbeat.
Would she have to sacrifice her life to catch the Demon King?
Of course, she knew that was her mission as a hero.
Having been chosen by the god, she had a noble purpose of killing the Demon King.
“I wish Licht could just live normally, like he is now…”
Her calloused, rugged hands pressed against Licht’s larger ones.
“..So big.”
The effort he put into swinging the sword to become stronger was clearly evident in that man’s hand.
Pina gently intertwined her fingers with his. The wiggling fingers felt his cold body temperature.
“….”
That sensation traveled beyond her arms, reaching her chest, making her heart thump thump.
‘I wonder what would happen if I hugged him.’
Pina’s curiosity took another step forward. Even creating a clone hadn’t resolved her questions.
─Whoosh.
She lay next to him, hugging him as if she were hugging a pillow. The hard but stabilizing sensation felt good.
Flap, flap. Her tail and ears soon went out of control.
His abdomen was harder than expected. If only time could stop like this.
Feeling she wanted to experience more of Licht, Pina’s hand began to creep into his jacket.
Her arms wrapped around him tighter, getting closer.
Soon, they had completely stuck together. Pina buried her nose in Licht’s body, savoring the scent.
“Ugh…”
Just then, Licht seemed to notice something and turned in his sleep.
Oh no, that was too hasty. I should have cast a sleep spell first.
Startled, Pina quickly loosened her arms and turned away. Acting like she hadn’t done anything at all.
Pretending to sleep. Anyone could tell she was breathing erratically while attempting to feign slumber.
She wanted Licht to think that she was just worrying and then dozing off.
Though her ears and tail were beyond her control, she tried her best to hold them in check.
“..Licht?”
But the man lying next to her didn’t wake up. He turned his head left and right, struggling as if caught in a nightmare.
Could it be he was asleep paralysis or something, sweating cold?
Noticing something strange, Pina grabbed Licht’s hand and tried to enter his dreams, but…
‘Is it a curse…?’
A prickly sensation like thorns bounced her back from that attempt.
His face was pale. It looked like it was hard for him to breathe.
Even loosening his tie didn’t help; this was serious.
“O-Oh no… what should I do..? He’s not breathing….”
Pina panicked. She immediately tried to take off his outer clothes.
What if he dies like this? Is there anyone who can help him?
Her mind was racing without enough blood flow.
There was no other way to save Licht.
“I’m sorry, Licht..!”
Finally, Pina climbed on top of Licht and started popping buttons open with a thud, pop.
In her haste, the man’s shirt wouldn’t come undone easily.
“..Got it!”
Finally, when Pina had opened Licht’s shirt from top to bottom…
“Pina.. what are you.. doing there..?”
Licht looked at Pina on his stomach with a half-asleep, dazed expression.
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